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Friday, September 07, 2012

appreciating hand made

In our household things are rarely done half way. A big production? Yep, that's familiar territory, for sure. So, when my son (who is 12 today) asked for a 3 foot by 3 foot pillow/reading cushion for his birthday I didn't bat an eyelash. You can't blame him...my husband would outfit our stir crazy popcorn popper with a strobe light if he had his way about it....the kid comes by it honestly!

Anyway, I made the pillow out of decorator fabric I bought years ago for a mere $1.29/yard. Sweet! I had JUST enough left for the pillow.

To stuff it I used this uber soft and uber lofty poly batting that a friend passed on to me last winter sometime. It works great as filler, but not so great as batting. (too bad!). I used a TON of it in this pillow. I'm glad that I could use it on this project AND I have a bit more room in my basement. :)

It. Is. HUGE. And I can't stop giggling about it. My son is gonna love it!

I can't just leave it as is. No way! I'm also going to make a quilted pillow cover for it. (why, naturally, right?) I'm excited that I pulled these fabrics from my stash rather than the scrap bins! (See this post.) They will match his bed quilt nicely. Oh, man, I love grey and orange together!!!

For his cake he requested a home made carrot cake with home made frosting. (That's my boy!) It was the perfect excuse to use my new-ish kitchen aid mixer (LOVE) that has been sitting idle as we pursue a healthy lifestyle. It was so fun to bake something special for him today!

I'm reveling in the fact that my son appreciates hand made stuff. Even at his age. Yes, I know I have to enjoy it while it lasts. But he sure knows how to make his mama's day.

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Thanks so much for all your comments on yesterday's post. I love it when you all chime in and continue the conversation, and I loved reading your thoughts on the subject. Another thing that makes my day!

We have a mixer just like that...same color and everything! Love the pillow! I see why you get the giggles when you look at it. And I LOVE the orange and gray you are going for for the cover. It will be awesome. Can't wait to see it all!

It's so great to be able to make some handmade items for the family! My Momma always comes in to put in a request for something! I'm making the younger giant a pillow too, not that he knows it....I love the grey and orange combo! =D

My kid never appreciated anything homemade...probably because she had it all her life...but her friends loved it when she showed up with a special Happy Birthday pillowcase to a party...now that she's at college, she learned to appreciate it more and more.

I think when homemade becomes normal at our homes, they naturally want mamma to make them things. :) My son is the same way too. I love the orange and gray together and will have to try that myself! My son's room is painted two different shades of orange.

P.S.: A KitchenAid Standmixer need not sit idle of you're eating healthy. :) It can be used for lots of other things besides cakes and cookies. I use mine for homemade pizza crust, breads, mashed potatoes, and so much more. And if you get some of the attachments, the things you can do are endless!

Use that kitchen aid to make some biscotti, perhaps the recipe on dinneralovestory.com My family is nuts about this stuff. We make it w/ a tablespoon or 2 less sugar, a pinch of cinnamon (it brings out sweetness) and double the almonds. Plus we bake it again for about 30 min after cutting it. Oh, and we use white whole wheat flour.

What a cool pillow!! My kids grew up with me stitching or quilting or scrapbooking or all of the above. They've always appreciated it, and I feel fortunate and blessed because of that. Sounds like you're raising a great guy there! :)

I remember when you got that huge roll of batting! It's fantastic that you used it for a good purpose. I think we all agree that your kiddo has fine taste! Anyone who requests a handmade pillow and carrot cake is my kind of guy. Happy birthday!

Happy Birthday to your son! You're raising him right....to appreciate and love home-made things! His pillow will be great...looks so cozy and the cover will be really sharp.

Enjoy making the carrot cake with your pretty red mixer! Love that color. I have had mine for about 35 years (color is almond). Never a problem with it. Sometimes, I think I'd like another color instead of that boring almond, but this thing still works!

I read your post today with a smile, nodding my head - I have a son who turned twelve on the 6th, and like yours he appreciates all things homemade! Soccer season pushes me to my limits, so when I suggested a box cake, he requested a homemade cake baked in the castle-shaped Bundt pan with Lego knights defending the turrets. It looked great, and he loved it. Of course!

Glad your son likes home made things. He might stray for awhile, but be patient, he will come back and ask for something that will knock your sox off. Maybe a wedding quilt. Or his first childs baby quilt. Wait for it.